For today's review, we've got "That's No Lady", which is an episode I enjoy decently well. For some reason this episode feels particularly memorable to me. Not necessarily iconic, just more memorable. And I don't know why because I haven't seen many people talk about this episode, not even on Twitter which likes to reiterate the same episodes over and over. So I really don't know where I've gotten this impression from.
I love how...uncannily this episode begins. That's not the right word but I don't know what word to use for what I mean. Like Patrick is just running around in the empty street and then some guy comes up and starts yelling at him to get out of town. It's weird, but not in a bad way. And besides, Patrick's reaction is pretty funny. And one thing I like about this episode is that it poses and solves the problem of this guy telling Patrick to get out of town in the same minute, which tells us that we don't have to worry about the salesman anymore, and can focus entirely on what Patrick is about to do for the rest of this episode. Like, this could've been an episode where it was revealed at the end just what was going on, but nah, they told us right away. I like that. Anyway, I love how when Patrick tells SpongeBob what happened, the most alarming thing was that the guy had a briefcase. Frankly if I was him, I'd be more worried about how the guy had a suit, given
certain assassins' propensity for wearing suits...but anyway, I love the whole goodbye scene between SpongeBob and Patrick, especially with Patrick just taking all of SpongeBob's stuff, that was hilarious. Not to mention the wholesomeness intermixed with SpongeBob listing off all the plans that he has with Patrick. Very cute.
SpongeBob's attempts at finding a solution for Patrick are entertaining enough, finally landing on the one solution that works: crossdressing! Living in the year 2023 has lent me a critical eye when it comes to episode plots like this, whether I want to think of it that way or not. And I'm not trying to get on a high horse either. But we do have to address that crossdressing is somewhat used as a punchline here, not to mention the real almost-questionable stuff with Squidward and Mr. Krabs falling for Patrick even though he looks the same with a wig and some lipstick on, and that being used as a punchline in the end. I don't think this episode is "problematic" or "offensive" (real words and phrases and concerns that have been slowly and sadly corroded over time), but I still think it's important to acknowledge when certain aspects of episodes are not quite...up to par. And that's all I've gotta say on that. I still like this episode, and this stuff doesn't affect my rating, but I will talk about it because I can. (
EDIT: Oh and let me make clear right now that I have no issue with crossdressing. It's crossdressing used as a punchline that I take issue with, depending on the severity and egregiousness of the joke, because let's be real for a second and ask ourselves why we think crossdressing is funny? It's transphobia, simple as that. We live in a highly transphobic society, I'm not surprised that crossdressing jokes like this are common. This episode is very, very tame compared to some of the other stuff out there, which is why I don't really have a true issue with it. But it's still worth acknowledging just for knowledge's sake, and the sake of learning from history.)
Moving on, we see everyone reacting to Patrick's new look and identity. And it is in these moments that I realize how uncomfortable I am with SpongeBob being involved in any kind of romantic pursuit, and how thankful I am every day that they very rarely have him in these kinds of plotlines. The scene with Larry is fun at first but then goes on too long, like please move on. And I think my issue is (I'm getting on my high horse again, I don't care) just how heteronormative (I know, such a scary word) these scenes and plots are. It's the exact kind of thing that annoyed me when I was much younger and everyone thought my best friend and I were dating or had crushes on each other. It adds nothing to the comedy for me that Larry assumes that Patrick is SpongeBob's girlfriend rather than simply a new female friend, and I question the decision behind doing that. Okay, my horse is back in the stable now. We move on.
I like the visuals of Mr. Krabs when he sees Patrick, I thought that was a nice visual gag. And then we see the consequences of Mr. Krabs' and Squidward's interests for Patrick once we get to the Krusty Krab. Those two are definitely pushing the limits of weird and moving into creepy-ville, but this episode acknowledges that so I'm fine with it. That was one of my main issues with "Enemy-In-Law" by the way, that it did not acknowledge that what Plankton and Mrs. Krabs were doing (on both sides) was just weird all around. But this episode doesn't have that problem, as Patrick is clearly uncomfortable and for good reason. Seeing Squidward and Mr. Krabs try and fail to woo Patrick is entertaining, and I love how they're continually shut down. And then the montage of Patrick repeatedly saying "No" as the two are in increasingly weird areas is pretty funny. But it does get much weirder when it turns out that it's not just Squidward and Mr. Krabs enamored with Patrick, it's the whole dang restaurant. That was just weird and it feels somewhat uncomfortable knowing that real people have to deal with this kind of treatment at work, you know?
Finally, the charade comes to an end as the salesfish from earlier makes a reappearance, and SpongeBob comes to defend his friend, letting the cat out of the bag. And here we see the other shoe drop as the truth that was already revealed to us is finally revealed to the characters. I love how Patrick absolutely has no shame in ripping his costume off in front of everyone. Poor Squidward needs more than a shower after that display. Mr. Krabs' reaction is pretty funny because of his blunt questions and then firing of Patrick (which I guess Bikini Bottom doesn't have anti-discrimination laws, since Mr. Krabs is firing Patrick solely because of his gender identity lmao). Anyway, the episode ends nice and wholesomely with SpongeBob and Patrick running out of the Krusty Krab to work on their activity list, which I thought was cute.
"That's No Lady" is a good episode that doesn't have many problems other than not being particularly funny. When I say certain jokes made me laugh in this episode, I largely mean like a chuckle or two, nothing major. And I know I said that my high horse moments aren't really affecting my review of the episode, but I am gonna say that the Larry scene was just far too unenjoyable for me, so that docks some points off as well. All in all, I think this episode deserves its spot in my "Good" tier. There really isn't much else that I can say.
Episode Tier: Good
Episode Score: 7.5/10
